Sunday, December 21, 2014

Christmas 2014

We celebrated Christmas a bit early at our house this year.  Our celebrations are changing, as our sons, now adults, have complicated schedules of their own, so Christmas is whenever they can be with me.  My son, David, who is in the Army, came home on leave on December 10th.  We gathered up the gang, and moved up our celebration to December 14th, so we could all be together.


I got to use my new Christmas dishes:  Winter Greetings Plaid, just released this year by Lenox!  Now that's a rim shot!


I'm so happy to see that plaid remains such a strong element at Christmastime.  I love plaid!


My friend and florist, Robert, of Robert Floral Design Studio in Chicago, Illinois, made this gorgeous centerpiece, which included white heather, fresh Winterberries, Boxwood, apples, oranges, frosted pinecones, a few red glass balls, red ribbon, all resting on a bed of cedar boughs.


The Italian red water goblets came from HomeGoods.  It's such a gorgeous red!  The wine glasses are rimmed in gold and match the gold chargers.  They were a Dollar Tree find!


I used the Spode Woodland flatware.  I really find this flatware so charming at Christmastime!


The little boxes hold Fannie Mae truffles.  Everyone got to take one home.  It was pure serendipity when I found the wrapping paper in the same colors as the dishes!


The table is set.  We are ready for our guests . . .  We sat down to dinner at 3:00 P.M., since my son, David, was leaving very early the following morning, and many of us also had to get an early start the next day!  It seems that everything at work was moved up for the week of the 15th, in anticipation of Christmas the following week, so we all had jam-packed schedules . . . (sigh . . .)


Lee and I, relaxing for a minute in front of the Christmas tree . . .  One more Christmas with my wonderful guy . . .


And here we are!  We had a last minute addition when my nephew, Colin, and his baby daughter, Sofia, joined us!  And, of course, the more the merrier!  Nothing makes me happier than to be surrounded by family. This year, we were also blessed by the presence of our dear friends, Layda and Nick!  And there's David, kneeling right behind me!


May the Baby Jesus fill your homes with love.  May the Prince of Peace blanket the earth with kindness, understanding, generosity . . . and, above all, peace.  God bless!

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Stop in and see some amazing seasonal tables!

8 comments:

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Hola querida Maria!
Yep, looks like the same happened to us, we had an early C'mas celeb with our DDs and 54 other members of the Crespo family.
Your family looks so happy sitting at such a wonderful table with your new plaid dishes, just beautiful!
Merry Christmas and may Baby Jesus bring you and your dear family, safety, healthy, love and happiness.
Feliz Navidad amiga,
FABBY

Nicki said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. As always, a stunning table - but importantly, a beautiful family.

Parsimonious Décor Darling said...

Lovely table! Very pretty Lenox. The centerpiece is gorgeous, too!

Sarah said...

Beautiful table, Maria. Plaid will never go out of style for me, Christmas or any other time of the year. I'm mad for plaid! '-)
Hope you and your family enjoyed a very Merry Christmas.

xinex said...

What a beautiful table and celebration, Maria! I love those plaid plates and almost tempted to buy them several times but have been holding back cause I have to downsize. Hubby is retiring and we are moving to FLORIDA and our home there is a lot smaller than here. Thank you so much for coming by . I know you had a wonderful Christmas. Your pic with hubby is so sweet!...Christine

Zuni, Chickadee Home Nest said...

Hola, Maria! You've been on my mind so much lately! This is my first time in the blog world for a long time, so I was really to find your post! You'd told me about your dishes when you visited--they're gorgeous, and yes, I think they do match the Lenox pattern with ribbons and fruit (I forget what it's called). Now you can collect those too! LOL

Your table is just beautiful--especially surrounded by faces of loved ones. It seems like more and more we have to "adjust" Christmas to fit everyone's schedules, but it's amazing how it feels like Christmas no matter the date.

I wish you and Lee and the boys the very best in 2015, and I'll be hoping for another visit when you're in Ohio! Con carino, ~Zuni

Candy S said...

What a stunning table! Robert did a magnificent job with the centerpiece, it is a perfect complement to your Lenox Winter Greetings plaid plates. Everything looks beautiful. It is wonderful that you and your family were able to celebrate Christmas with your son David while he was on leave. Wishing a very Happy New Year to you and your family.

I am your newest follower..... Candy

Unknown said...

Your table is stunning. where did you get the plaid plates at? I have never seen them and I have been looking alot this year.My son was in the Navy and I am used to changing the dates of holidays to suit him when he was home. it doesn't matter it's all about family.Susie